The Singer and the Dancer
by DDaughterofAthena
Summary: For Annabeth Chase, the world-famous singer, Percy Jackson is nothing but trouble. Not only did he somehow manage to weasel his way into the job as her dance choreographer, but he also is her best friend's brother. And yet, she can't help warming up to the green-eyed boy, and maybe, just maybe, falling in love with him. (I don't own PJatO.) UP FOR ADOPTION!
1. Chapter 1

**Okay, so this is an idea I've been sitting on for a while, and because any time I write a multi chapter story it gets scrapped, hopefully I don't give up halfway through writing this. I don't own any songs that you recognize. The story plot idea might be kinda stupid, but I have this headcanon stuck in my head, so here it is! Anything that you recognize, I don't own. I may have tweaked a few things to fit my fic, but nothing to major. Also, in the opening scene, there is a letter, written by a dyslexic person; it is probably not at all how dyslexics write, but I'm not trying to discriminate or anything, so hopefully it isn't to off the mark. Any thing that a character expresses in here aren't my thoughts, they're the characters' (Unless I say otherwise, in a A/N much like this one). Enjoy!**

 **-Lauren Swan.**

I lowered my eyes to the pink and gray hall mat, a messily made envelope sitting on top of the fluffy, plush carpet adorning the mat. "Karina! Please don't tell me that you brought in more fake mail!" I called, twisting my head back so my wavy blonde locks fell into my face.

A moment later, my timid maid quickly scurried into the room, her head hanging dejectedly. Most would have fired her by then, thanks to her stuttering manner, even though it was a speech deficiency. I, however, didn't mind, and actually found it a bit endearing, mentally considering her an acquaintance, or even a friend. "M-Miss Chase, I b-believe that was given to to y-you by your n-new neighbor," she all-but-whispered. I raised an eyebrow.

"Someone moved in? I thought that Piper was keeping it?" I questioned. Piper, my best friend and lead dancer, lived across the street from me in our Beverly Hills-like suburb.

"Y-Yes. I b-believe that sh-she is is l-letting her b-brother stay there."

I glanced at her. "Huh. And I'm assuming this letter is from her mysterious older brother who's name I don't even know?"

Without responding, Karina gave a quick nod.

I glanced at the envelope. "I should open it, shouldn't I?" Without looking at her expression, I turned around, freeing her from my cold, gray, calculating gaze. "Oh, and Karina? Please call me Annabeth. Or even Miss Annabeth if you have to. Just please don't call me Miss Chase. It makes me feel old, and I don't want to feel as old as Athena Chase when I'm going on my tour."

I felt Karina quickly nod her head again. "Y-Yes Miss Ch-Annnabeth. I'll be leaving now."

I mentally grinned. Apparently, though I didn't see proof of it often, it was a good decision to pay for the speech therapist Karina was seeing. Picking the envelope up, I carefully scanned the chicken scratch that was on it, in place of neat, legible writing. Now, don't get me wrong, I'd trust Karina to take care of my fortune (in fact, I do), but ever since she downloaded a virus into our old security system, thinking it was an update, I've taken extra care in double checking most things she's done.

The writing itself looked vaguely familiar to me, and upon closer inspection, I realized that it was the writing of a dyslexic person; _my_ writing, until my birth mother, Athena Chase, took guardianship of me when I was sixteen, putting me in writing classes to learn how to write properly, without my dyslexia being apparent in anything I hand wrote.

Piper, too, had dyslexia, but I didn't expect her brother to have the condition as well.

Shaking my head slightly, to remove my ADHD-induced thought thread, I gently tore at the envelope, putting the now-empty paper folding on the hallway table I had been resting against while talking to Karina. The letter itself was typed out; a welcome relief, seeing as how I had ben completely unable to read what had been on the envelope's front. Yet it may not be quite useful as I thought, once I reminded myself that he did, in fact, have dyslexia, and, while I may be able to read what he typed, I still probably wouldn't be as to understand it.

 _To howeevr lvies heer,_

 _Hi. My naem is Percy Jackson, and I am Piper McLean's/Jackson's odlre by one yera brtohre. I jyst muued in, wil seh is in Manhattan_ _, and am trhoinwg a huswarnign praty tomuroaw, at 5:00 p.m., if yuo'd liik to com. I am dyslexic, wih is wy thehs lether is wrehten bdly._

 _Thanks,_

 _Percy Jackson_

That was the letter? I know he had dyslexia, but this looked like the alphabet threw up. The only thing that was spelled properly was Manhattan, Piper's name, and what I assumed to be his name, Percy Jackson.

Normally I would ignore this kind of stuff, and assume it's a prank, except for the fact very few knew Piper was once the neglected daughter of Rena "Aphrodite" and Tristan McLean, until they died in a car crash, and among those few, practically no one knew she was going to Manhattan to see if she could buy a low-scale apartment closer to her boyfriend, Jason Grace; as far as both the public, and the press knew, she was going to Bora Bora, to celebrate her new modeling job with Vogue, along with the fact that she had finally, after years of auditions and cancled contracts, gotten onto the cover of Vogue.

Personally, I also felt a little bad for the guy. Honestly, he had tried to get to know his new neighbors, although, because, practically no one this street except for Piper and me liked each other, behind the cameras, I highly doubted anyone would go to what appeared to an invitation to a house party.

"Karina!" I called.

"Y-Yes Miss Annabeth?" Karina questioned.

"Fix my schedule. It appears I'm going to a party tomorrow."


	2. Chapter 2

**Hi! I'm back again! I have no clue why I'm so peppy, because I typed out this whole chapter, and then it got deleted. But any way, hope you enjoy! I know, in this chapter, I described practically all the celebs as shallow and rude and whatnot; these aren't my views... it is simply good for the plot point.** **Another thing; this is just a filler chapter, introducing characters, and the only really important thing that happens on this is Percy and Annabeth meeting, so I'm sorry if this is super boring. There is also a sentence in here that says "the supposedly straight model" I'm not saying models are gay, I'm just saying that the person maybe is, so I'm sorry if that offends you.** **My updating schedule is also non existent, so I might not post the next chapter in while... but who knows? I could post tomorrow.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own anything you recognize. I'm only saying that once.**

 **KnightLawn: Oh, Thanks! It's my first fic, so it's nice to know that people like my work. Also, shoutout for being the first person to review!**

 **One last thing; I am currently on the search for a beta, so if any of you are interested, PM me.**

 **-Lauren Swan**

 **Edit: So I just** **re-read the chapter, and I just realized it's longer than I expected it to be, so... sorry? The ending is kinda rushed as well, because I didn't want to bore you guys, so sorry again. And, lastly, it isn't written as well as I'd like it to be, so, instead of saying sorry, I'm just going to say I hope the next chapter is better.**

 **.oOo..oOo..oOo..oOo..oOo.**

I awkwardly stood in the foyè of Piper's... sorry, _Percy's_ mansion, listening to Drew Tanaka, (an Asian girl who was Piper's half-sister, thanks to Rena's infidelity, and was adopted by the owner of Tanaka films, a movie company), rant about how _completely_ unfair it was, not renewing her contract to star in the latest movie in the Survivors franchise; after all, it _was_ her who brought Jessica's character to life, and the public _loved_ her. I absent mindedly nodded along, dropping in a few "yes"s and "of course"s and "I completely agree"s when I felt it was needed; other than that, I scanned the room, looking for who else was here.

There was Mr. Tartarus (no joke, that's his name), a business tycoon, along with being a stoner and a porn watcher. There was also Gaia Gardener, the earth-loving, fashion forward, cranky, old, and straight up rude grandma, who owned Earthen Wear, a fashion company that only used organic, natural materials to make their clothes. There was also Mr. Gardener (Gaia's son) someone who Piper and I suspected to be the leader of the gang that controlled the whole Eastern US, whose code name was "Kronos". And, last but not least, there was Octavian Arellano, the popular movie villain, and his best friend, Ethan Nakamura, the supposedly straight model. The host himself, Percy Jackson, wasn't here yet; or at least, his appearance hadn't been made. The door was wide open when I finally arrived, 5 minutes early, and now, 30 minute later, he was still no where to be seen.

I had to admit, in the beginning, I was kind of surprised when I saw all these people here; I myself wouldn't have come if I didn't feel bad for him. And yet, it didn't seem as though everyone was here to welcome him; their most extravagant looking, expensive seeming, trend-setting clothes were taken out of closets and worn, even if they had planned to wear it at a movie premier in two weeks, or were going to don it in public for the first time tomorrow; after all, they had to set a precedent now for what could be the next ten years: _You aren't one of_ us, _so don't try to act like us, talk to us, or even go to parties with us; it was a freak accident, you coming here, so we're going to pretend you don't exist._

Yeah, my neighbors aren't the nicest people around. Of course, on camera, I could practically choke on their niceness being shoved down my throat.

"And did you _know_ who they're putting as my replacement? _China Hung._ I mean, that girl can't even _talk_ properly, much less _act._ " Drew complained.

"Yeah, I agree." I responded vaguely.

"I _know_ right? Like, I met her a few months back at Coachella, but I _never_ would have expected it would be _her_ to-" Drew seemed to have finally noticed that the conversation was one-sided, and glared at me angrily. "Are you even _listening_ to me?"

And cue her inner, bratty child.

"Of course."

"You _aren't_! God, I don't even know why I even _tried_ talking to you!" Drew rolled her eyes and walked away, leaving my befuddled mind to try and recount the last few minutes of our, trying to remember what spawned her to leave me like that. However, I didn't put much account into her holding a grudge; ever since Piper left a few weeks back, Drew had tried to slip into her spot, though, as for why, I didn't know. She didn't have anything to gain from a potential friendship; at least, not anything visibly noticeable. Yet Drew was quite cunning, and I wouldn't put it past her to find some way to elevate her social status through me.

Another glance around the room told me practically everyone else appeared to be as bored as me; nothing, not even food, had been laid out to entertain us, and quite a few people, even though they had dressed up, seemed on the verge of leaving, if it weren't for the fact that they didn't want Percy to bother them later.

Last night, I had face timed Piper, and she had said that her brother might be late, but, just like his letter, I hadn't expected this. Late, in my dictionary, meant 2-3 minutes. Not thirty. And it definitely didn't mean having your guests come and go before you even show up; being at your own party isn't rocket science, it's common courtesy.

I carefully walked further into the mansion, trying not to draw attention to myself; I may know Piper well enough to walk inside her abode without her being there, but the others didn't... though that wouldn't stop them from exploring every nook and cranny of this mansion, trying to find something to exploit her. Walking purposefully, I walked into the main room of the mansion; what would be a family room, or a living room, had we been living in a relatively normal neighborhood. Familiar, worn, white, leather couches called to me, yet I ignored the temptation of getting proper sleep for once, and instead, carefully, silently, I walked toward the grand, wooden, spiral staircase that was the perfect singing spot in Piper's house; another great temptation of warming up my rusty vocal chords, another temptation I ignored. If Piper was still here, of course, I wouldn't hesitate in singing my heart out, but I knew practically nothing about Percy; only that he was dyslexic, unique, accident-prone, and a dancer, like Piper.

 _Crash_

I jumped and turned behind me, only to see the other housewarming guests crowd into the room, their eyes looking at me with a sliver of confusion and question, before it was quickly masked with indifference. Their eyes quickly move from me to the railing above the staircase, and I carefully follow their gaze, only to hear someone enter the door. What?

Turning around, I walk back into the foye, the others trailing behind me; it appears that, for once, they are willing to follow me... something that I know will change as soon as they step outside the doorway.

"Crap. You're all here?" a male voice questioned. A man, brushing six foot five, glanced at us from the doorway, enticing sea green eyes wide with alarm and worry.

He had to be Percy. He had messy black hair, indulgent sea green eyes, and wore a causal pair of jeans and a shirt; in other words, he looked like a regular person, not, what my neighbors would call, Elite material... though maybe his lean, lithe figure, captivating eyes, and perfectly messy black hair could be his saving grace. In his hands there was a glass plate bearing... pizza? I'd been more confused this week then I normally am in a year; I'm practically never confused. Another, similar glass tray, once carrying coke cans, was now on the floor, the shards decorating the wooden floor. Percy quickly but the pizza plate on a hallway table, similar to the one I have, and dusted his hands on his jeans; though, I was impressed. Most would be intimidated by having so many celebrities in their home, while he just seemed more nervous.

I walked out of the throng of people and stuck out my hand for him to shake, "Annabeth Chase."


	3. Chapter 3

**Hi! I'm back again, with yet another chapter in this fic. So, I am writing this after I just woke up, and I'm ready to fall asleep at my desk. Fun, right? So, some of you might be wondering if I have an updating schedule. The answer? I don't. I just write whenever I get inspiration, or have the time. I then try to finish typing out a chapter within a day (or two, if my writing comes in short bursts), and put it under severe editing before publishing the morning of the next day. Another thing, I think that this chapter is, by far, not my best work, so... sorry? Lastly, the girl on the cover is supposed to be how Annabeth looks. Enjoy!**

 **Btw., I'm still looking for a beta.**

 **-Lauren Swan**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own**

 **merendinoemiliano: First of all, can I say I love your username? I have no clue as to what it means, if it means anything, but I really like it. Thanks! And second of all, shoutout for being the first person to review on all the published chapters. Thanks again!**

 **sk8gr8: Aww, thanks! You flatter me though. Well, here's the chapter that you asked for. Hope it lives up to your expectations!**

 **.oOo..oOo..oOo..oOo..oOo.**

"Hi! I'm uh, Percy Jackson." Percy stammered. He shook my hand and glanced up at my irritated expression, before he hurriedly continued. "But you knew that. It was on the le-invitation."

"Yes, I believe I do know what your name is, unless there happens to be another Percy Jackson living in the area?" I deadpanned. Now, I did say I had been feeling sorry for Percy... though that was before he had been 25 minutes late to his own party, finally appeared, only to break silverware, and then questioned as to why all his guests were here. Yeah, I'm not feeling particularly sorry for him right now.

"Oh... right." was his simple retort.

I had the inexpiable urge to mimic his 'Oh... right', but quashed it. After all, I was supposed to be a mature adult, and not a whiny brat like Drew. Though I might be a bit biased, about Drew's level of brattiness, seeing as how she annoyed me to no end. And now, thanks to my inner monologue, I stayed silent for too long, and Percy looks decidedly awkward.

"Uh, so would you all want, uh, to stay? I have other activit- entertainment planned, and I was wondering if you all wanted to..." Percy's voice, which had somehow become quite optimistic, trailed off at the end, as he looked at everyone's expressions.

"I would _love_ to stay, but I have to go to a movie filming. You know, for the Survivor's franchise? I'm _sure_ you've heard of it. Well anyway, _I'm_ Jessica, and, as you _must_ know, she takes _so_ much time to act. Toodle-ooo!" with that bit of completely false information, and surprisingly horrible acting, Drew made a move to flounce off, before turning to glance at me at the last minute. Obviously, she wanted me to come with her, though I feigned ignorance of what she was trying to convey, and instead turned my head over my shoulder, to see all the other 'Elite' looking at Percy with thinly veiled expressions of disgust.

"Ahh, yes," the familiar voice of Octavian Arellano drawled, "I have to go to the Survivor's filming as well, after all, I'm Omega. Ethan?" Without glancing behind him, to see if Ethan was following, Octavian strode out of the room, an appropriately pompous expression on his face. Ethan quickly followed, and, copying their three predecessors, the other guests, of which there weren't many, declared foolish apologies before crossing the mansion's threshold.

That is, everyone but Mr. Tartarus, who walked out without a word, and Gaia, who was loudly complaining about how boring this excuse for a party was, while Mr. Gardener wheeled her out, muttering words of agreement.

Looking crestfallen, Percy glanced at me expectantly, as though waiting for me to utter a lie for an excuse, before strolling out of the foyè.

"You do know I'm not that mean, leaving you here. Now, normally I'd stay and help you clean up before leaving, but you're Piper's brother, so I'll be taking certain liberties, and allow to come to my house. Don't give me that look, I'm not a slut."

Percy, who was staring at me, wide-eyed, with red dusted cheeks, swallowed before questioning, "And who said I'd want to go to your home?" He waved his hand vaguely in the direction of the door before raising an eyebrow at me.

"Oh, I don't know, I just assumed you wouldn't want to stay here, you might want to meet some your neighbors.. You know, most would kill for an opportunity to go to my house. You should be happy I'm inviting you." I retorted. Percy cocked his head slightly, and studied my face, as though looking for something.

"You really have a full opinion of yourself, don't you?" Percy observed.

My eyes widened and I felt anger grow in my gut as I looked at him, "Excuse me? You're saying I have a full opinion of myself? Look in in the mirror Mr. I-don't-care-if-everyone-is-at-my-party-before-me Jackson." I cried.

Percy, who looked completely surprised, cleared his throat before responding with a scathing, "Did you even hear you-" He suddenly, abruptly, stopped speaking, and instead closed his eyes, taking in a deep breath. "Okay, look Miss Chase. You're Piper's best friend, and she had said to not make you mad... but she also said that I should try and befriend you. Now, I obviously, I didn't listen to the last rule, but I don't want to argue with you, or make you mad, so please leave."

I carefully evened my breaths before looking at him. I was acting childish, something I didn't want to be. The great Annabeth Chase was not supposed to be childish. And because of that, I was going to take his advice; something I normally never do, being the stubborn me I am. "Yes, I believe I will be leaving. Goodbye Mr. Jackson." I said stiffly. Disregarding the glass underneath my silver stilettos, I walked out the door with as much dignity I could muster under the circumstances.

~·~·~·~·~·~·~·~·~·~·~·~·~·~·~

I lay in bed, my blue dress traded out for faded gray sweats and a pink shirt, and my long blond curls, flowing down my back, exchanged for a messy ponytail that was still

quite long; Piper even said it was one of my best qualities.

Speaking of Piper... "So you met Percy? And you yelled at him?" Piper summarized. My laptop was out, and the two of us were facetiming, with me in my bedroom, and Piper in Jason's apartment, with him out to get food; Piper wanted to stay as out of the limelight as much as possible, which included having Jason go grocery shopping.

"Yeah, we didn't get off to the best start. But enough about me, tell me what's going on with you? I thought you were going to stay at a hotel?" I said, quickly diverting the attention from me.

"Yeah, about that..." Piper said, trailing off shamefully.

"Let me guess. Just as you got there, you decided that a hotel would be just a little too out in the open, and Jason happened to agree with you staying at his place."

"Pretty much." she concluded.

Rolling my eyes, I raised an eyebrow, "And what about the apartment hunt?"

Piper grinned, "Oh, we thought that getting another apartment would be useless, and I said, 'Why not just move in with Jason?' So, I'm just crashing at his house right now."

I looked at her, and a mischievous smile spread across my face, "You know, if buying an apartment is too much work, you could always move in with Mrs. Jackson again." I suggested. "It's only a block away from his place, too."

Piper, as expected, blushed, "I-I-uh-"

"You know, this relationship seems to be getting pretty serious." I innocently commented. "I should go over and talk to him."

Piper rolled her eyes, and quickly changed the topic, "You know, if you acted this friendly with everyone, not just me, you might actually get more friends." Piper suddenly mock gasped, "You could maybe even," Piper shot a few surreptitious looks around, briefly disappearing from the laptop frame, before dropping her voice to a stage whisper, "Befriend Percy!"

It was my turn to roll my eyes as I fake glared at her, "I am very approachable, thank you very much."

"Uh-Huh"

"Shut up Pipes.


	4. Chapter 4

**I really have nothing to say, but I'm still looking for a beta. Also, not my best chapter.  
Disclaimer: I don't own the series, nor Red by Taylor Swift.  
-Lauren Swan**

 **merendoamilliano: Thanks, I guess? Not quite sure on how to respond to that.**

 **.oOo..oOo..oOo..oOo..oOo.**

For the next couple of weeks, Percy ignored me and I ignored him; an easy feat, seeing as how I brought up the memory of our argument any time I felt the urge to show some neighborly kindness to him. Currently, I was at my studio in Brooklyn, trying to record the album _Riptide,_ and also attempting to consume a burger before my manager, Gwen Levesque, decided I needed to begin recording immediately. Sure enough:

"Annabeth! We need you in the booth in five!" Gwen called. Her dark, purple dyed hair was pulled up into a top knot, and a simple, blazer styled black-and-purple outfit looked wonderful against her dark skin tone. Gwen walked up to me, her silver stilettos clacking against the wooden floor. "And Annabeth, please don't eat a burger before you record. Your voice is deep and sticky-sounding after you eat a burger, and we don't need that, after your last album failed." she chastised.

Shaking my head, I threw out the burger into a trash bin somewhere in my vicinity. As much as I didn't like it, Gwen was right; my last album, _Secret Life,_ didn't appeal to the public, with age-long fans saying it was "too strong" and "not for a woman to sing."

"Good job. Now, do you need the mechanical lyrics?" Gwen asked.

Shaking my head again, Gwen nodded to herself. "Okay, I need to talk to Leo, then. He better have not run off again." continuing to mutter under her breath, Gwen stalked off, probably to give Leo instructions to set up something or the other.

I, myself, went to the studio, where Lou Ellen, the Sound Director, and Mitchell, her unofficial assistant stood, adjusting mics and whatnot.

"Lou, I need to be recording soon." I warned, watching them bring in a box filled with god-knows-what.

"Yeah, I know. G told us." Lou assured. I raised an eyebrow; Lou would say "Yeah, I know" until the apocalypse came.

Luckily, at that moment, Dakota walked in, Gwen's assistant when she couldn't, or wouldn't. want to talk to someone. "Lou, Mitchell, give that stuff to Chris. He'll take care of it. We need to start the recording now." Grumbling, Lou and Mitchell did as they were told, and within seconds, I was in the recording booth, ready to start singing the first song of the album, Red. Taking in a deep breath, at the thumbs up from Lou, I began singing.

 _Loving him is like driving a new Maserati down a dead-end street_  
 _Faster than the wind, passionate as sin, ending so suddenly_  
 _Loving him is like trying to change your mind once you're already flying through the free fall_  
 _Like the colors in autumn, so bright just before they lose it all_

 _Losing him was blue like I'd never known_  
 _Missing him was dark grey all alone_  
 _Forgetting him was like trying to know somebody you never met_  
 _But loving him was red_  
 _Loving him was red_

 _Touching him was like realizing all you ever wanted was right there in front of you_  
 _Memorizing him was as easy as knowing all the words to your old favorite song_  
 _Fighting with him was like trying to solve a crossword and realizing there's no right answer_  
 _Regretting him was like wishing you never found out that love could be that strong_

 _Losing him was blue like I'd never known_  
 _Missing him was dark grey all alone_  
 _Forgetting him was like trying to know somebody you never met_  
 _But loving him was red_  
 _Oh, red_  
 _Burning red_

 _Remembering him comes in flashbacks and echoes_  
 _Tell myself it's time now, gotta let go_  
 _But moving on from him is impossible_  
 _When I still see it all in my head_  
 _In burning red_  
 _Burning, it was red_

 _Oh, losing him was blue like I'd never known_  
 _Missing him was dark grey all alone_  
 _Forgetting him was like trying to know somebody you never met_  
 _'Cause loving him was red_  
 _Yeah, yeah, red_  
 _We're burning red_

 _And that's why he's spinnin' 'round in my head_  
 _Comes back to me, burning red_  
 _Yeah, yeah_

 _His love was like driving a new Maserati down a dead-end street_

Most people would think that my song, Red, was about my ex-fiancee, Luke. Most people, in this case, would be right. Luke, my ex-fiancee whom I broke up with, started out with having platonic feelings for me, under the guise of romantic ones, and I started out with true romantic feelings for him, that faded into platonic vibes. Our calling off the wedding, calling off the engagement, caused quite a stir in the media, but, although the end was a mutual one, the media turned it into this huge, dramatic fight, that ended with me storming out of his apartment half-naked. Good times, right?

"Good job, Annabeth. Now, all we need to do is hire a dance choreographer." Dakota said.

That was true. Along with being the main dancer on tour with me, Piper was also my dance choreographer, helping me learn to dance. And, though I wasn't good at it, according to Piper, my music was so good that people wouldn't really pay attention to my dancing to much.

"Oh, Annabeth, didn't Piper say that her brother is a dancer?" Mitchell asked. "You could ask him. And, Piper is amazing; he has to be a little good."

"Piper's adopted." I reminded them. "For all I know, her brother could only dance the chicken dance."

"Mitchell has a point," Gwen said, "it doesn't hurt to ask. You could even ask Piper if you don't want too talk to him."

"Piper's in Bora-Bora," I not-so-subtly hinted; Gwen was the only one, besides me, and, apparently Percy, that knew Piper was really in Manhattan, "Remember? She also went on that technology strike, as a help to Grover. Remember?"

"Ohh, right. Then, just ask him." Gwen tried.

"Yeah, I'll do that." I replied vaguely

" 'Yeah, you do that,' " Dakota mimicked, "You two are killing me. I'm getting a drink."

It was a surprise that he managed to stay sober this long, so, with a nod, Gwen gave Dakota permission to drink as much whiskey or vodka he liked, as long as he didn't come to the studio tomorrow hungover.

Once Dakota left, Mitchell and Lou left to see how the tape came out, and Gwen turned to look at me, "Annabeth, remember to talk to Percy. Don't take the easy way out, and hire someone from the audition tape. And _don't_ let your ego get the better of you and completely ignore what I said."

That was twice someone called me big-headed, or egoistic. Was I really like that? With that new tidbit of knowledge, I gave Gwen a quick sentence of confirmation, then went to look for the old audition tapes.


	5. Chapter 5

**T** **he search for a beta is still on! Also, The Singer and the Dancer made it onto 12 favorite lists, so I'm proud of myself, and super happy!** **Also, I just found out Rick's real name is Richard... wth? Also, I'm super obsessed with My Grand Plan, from The Lightning Thief Musical, and it's playing on a loop in the background** **currently. Sorry for the super late update, I meant to write this by 7/11 and post this on Annabeth's birthday, but life got in the way. Sorry, and hope you enjoy!**

 **-Lauren Swan**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own**.

 **merendomilliano: Thanks! :) I do take pride in my detailing, so this was a welcome review, seeing that someone noticed this.**

 **Hollyshine: First of all, thank you for reviewing :), and second of all, no, that isn't Wisteria Moon, but Mieke Moll, an actress, and singer (among other things), so I felt it appropriate to use her photo.** **She also looks exactly how I imagined Annabeth would look in this fic, so here we are.**

 **Blue (Guest): Well, thanks! :) I don't really have a lot of faith in my writing, so it's surprising, to say the least, to know that someone thinks this fic is well-written. As for Dork!Percy, there are more chapters (a lot more) before this fic ends, and this was Annabeth's view of him; yet, I am planning on writing quite a few dorky Percy scenes.**

 **WelcomeToOurLife: I assume that is a good thing, and give you my thanks for this review :) Also, I really liked your ship song suggestion and did update my profile to include it. Thanks!**

 **.oOo..oOo..oOo..oOo..oOo.**

"Why do the hell do we even have this?" I muttered to myself, staring in confusion at a broken, dusty, record player. Before _Sunlight Studios,_ the studio that I worked for, bought this building, it was a theater; yet I had assumed Apollo Sunlight, the man that owned _Sunlight Studios_ , has gotten rid of everything before converting this place into a recording studio. However, on my search for the old audition tapes, I found out that he had, obviously, not done as I expected.

Now, I'm sure you are going to jump to conclusions, thinking I hate Percy Jackson; why else would I blatantly disregard what Gwen said, and go searching for the audition tapes? And, as much as I don't like that stuck-up Mr. Jackson, there are... other reasons. For one, in the "party", if it can even be called that, he dropped a glass plate. I highly doubt a real dancer wouldn't be graceful enough to drop the plate. For another, he is too tall, and a man; he wouldn't be able to teach me dance, nor should he. Also, he isn't... okay, fine, I just don't like him! Happy?

Back to the present; I was currently in the studio's costume room, sifting through old things, trying to find the audition tapes from 2012. I had already found a detective costume, super-old wigs, and what looked to be lingerie that wasn't a costume... yeah, I'll spare you the frilly details. I had already gone to the basement, the practice room, and had snuck into Gwen's office; after this, all that would be left is the tech room.

"Ann, we need you here," Silena Beauregard, my costume manager, called.

Turning around to glance at the African-American beauty, I pursed my lips, all the while threatening, "Don't call me Ann."

Silena only laughed at the dangerous look on my face, and proceeded roll her eyes. For reasons I didn't know, Silena never took me seriously; it probably had something to do with the "dumb blonde" stereotype", but it always bothered me, along with the fact that Piper, Drew, Mitchell, Lacy (Silena's twin and my make-up manager), Silena, and Valentina Diaz (my casting director) were all related. And only now can I appreciate how awkward family reunions might be be:  
 _Hi! I don't think I've seen you before?  
Oh, Piper's mom, Rena, cheated on Tristan with my big-shot dad, and Lacy and I were born. I've heard the cake is amazing, want to try it?_

"Of course, _Ann,_ " Silena teased.

I shook my head and, heaving an exaggerated sigh, I raised an eyebrow, "What do you need?"

Silena grinned at my not-so-subtle attempt to draw the attention off me, but continued to explain, "We need to see if this costume would look good for the music video. Come on, try it on!"

I didn't try to halt the sound of disbelief that escaped my lips, "Uh-huh. Didn't we already run the costumes by Gwen? I don't think she'd approve a last minute change."

Now it was Lacy's turn to smirk, "What she doesn't know won't kill her. Besides, she doesn't have the time to supervise the recording, and by the time she finds out, it will already have been released to the public. Now, do you like gray or pink better?"

Within seconds, without my consent, I was dressed in a gray jumpsuit with a plunging V neckline and a pair of black stilettos. Lacy had dusted my face with makeup, and pulled my hair back in a "professional"messy bun, with locks of wily hair framing my face; honestly, in my opinion, it looked exactly like my regular messy buns, except with a lot more hairspray coating my hair.

"Great!" Silena cooed. "Now, all we need to do is begin filming the scenes for the video... Lacy, call Charlie, would you? Tell him we need to begin shooting the video before Gwen gets back."

Lacy smirked, "Is it okay if I just call Leo? After all, Beckendorf seems rather busy today." Everyone knew that Silena liked Charlie Beckendorf, the Technician, but neither had actually claimed truth in the rumor just yet; though it was probably related to the fact that Silena's dad, the famous owner of the Whisper chocolate company, didn't like Beckendorf for some reason.

Silena blushed slightly and Lacy and I both grinned. "I'm joking Sil. I'll go get _Charlie._ " Lacy shot Silena another satisfied smirk before flouncing away.

Silena turned to me, a dreamy smile on her face. "Okay, I'm going to go grab the tape from the tech room. Meet me at the _Silver Set_ in ten." Silena, too, turned around, leaving me to run after her in very uncomfortable heels.

"Silena! Sil!" I called out. "I need to look for the audition tapes! We can't shoot the video right now!"

Silena turned to look at me again, rolling her eyes, "Annie, sweety, the tapes are probably in the tech room. I'll go there right now, and look for them. You don't need to do anything. And please stop screaming. We need to record more songs tomorrow, and I don't think Gwen would like you with a raspy voice. Now, don't talk, turn around, and get a ride from Valentina to the _Silver Set,_ before she leaves. By!"


	6. Chapter 6

**Hi, I'm back! This is more of a filler chapter, nor is it my best, so sorry, but if you want to read something else, written by me, I suggest you stop by** Tag, You're It! **A characters answer questions fic. In this chapter, you'll notice it says Thalia is Percy's cousin, which might mean that Piper is dating her cousin, Jason, Thalia's brother. Don't worry, because of technicalities, Jason isn't Thalia's brother. Also, does anyone have a better title idea? Cause mine is nice, but a tad unoriginal.  
-Lauren Swan**

 **merendoemilliano- Thanks, though Silena and Charlie are alive... for now...**

 **Pastel Pink Roses- Wow. Thanks so much for the review, it means a lot to a writer barely beginning to write fics. Though I don't think you should put yourself down; your fics are amazing and well written, so I should be the one saying I want to write like you.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own**

 **.oOo..oOo..oOo..oOo..oOo.**

After managing to find Diaz already on her way to _The Silver Set_ , I ended up having to take a taxi, which wasn't so bad, until you thought of the fact that I was very popular; not only was I a singer, but I wrote a few books, am an excellent martial artist, am a model, and I starred in _Glee_ for the first two seasons... I'm positive that I will never be able to into a taxi again. Long story short, I arrived at _The Silver Set_ looking like Tartarus threw up on me. Yes, I'm talking about Greek hell. I'd always found the mythology fascinating, and every now and then I find myself saying things like "Oh gods," or "Holy Hera." Even my crew began talking like that, though people like Gwen preferred Roman Mythology more than Greek. Back to the topic at hand. _The Silver Set_ is owned by Artemis Silver, whom the media called "The Twin" of Apollo, thanks to their namesakes, the Goddess Artemis and the God Apollo. Artemis herself was a very popular producer/director, and was rarely at the set, instead flying all over the world to direct or produce anything that included a female as the lead... she was a bit like the Grecian Goddess. Even her crew was an "Only Girl" thing, and they called themselves the Huntresses.

Luckily, Artemis's second-in-command, Thalia Grace, was always at the set, and was an excellent producer/director. And, coincidentally, she was also another close friend of mine, though, personally, we were more sisters; it was because of her that Silena and Lucy didn't send me onto the set naked sometimes.

"Ann! Annie! ANNABETH!"

Jumping at the voice screaming next to my ear, I turned around to see Thalia Grace looking at me, her cheeks not even the slightest bit flushed even though she had just yelled at the top of her lungs.

"Thalia! Jeez!" I cried, abandoning sophisticated-ness to berate her.

"Sorry," she said, though it looked more like she wanted to laugh, "Anyway, Pipes isn't here, so I figured I'd be your escort into the building today."

"You know, I don't really need an escort into a building 10 steps away." I retorted. With Thalia, I never felt like I had to look classy, though I did feel like I couldn't be emotional; Thalia was the friend that you teased, not the one you cried with.

"I'm sure you don't sweetie. C'mon." And then, linking her arm through mine, Thalia practically dragged me into the set.

"Thalia!"

Ignoring me, Thalia flung open the doors of the studio, striding past the other Hunters, who were not-so-quietly snickering at what Thalia had done to me, and, more noticeably, my rumpled outfit.

"Anyway Annie, how is it, Percy being your neighbor?" Thalia questioned as she led me past yet another long, winding hallway.

Right. I had forgotten that Thalia was Percy's cousin. "He's... okay?" I answered, though it sounded more like a question.

Thalia smirked, "Let me guess. He was clumsy and late to the housewarming, so you didn't like him."

"...Yeah, I gues- wait, why weren't you at the housewarming? You're his cousin!" I demanded, trying to steer the topic away from me.

"I was busy. Besides, I'm going over to help with the unpacking tomorrow. You should come!"

"I should? Thals, no offense, but I don't like your cousin and I'm sure he doesn't like me. Besides, family bonding has to account for something, right?"

Thalia looked slightly angry and stopped walking, making me crash into her. "Really Thalia?" I muttered, trying to fix my now-broken stiletto heel.

She took a deep breath and looked at me, though I could tell that whatever she was going to tell me, it was going to be rough. "Look, Annabeth. I know that you hold grudges a lot, and you have a big ego," she faltered for a moment, as though she was expecting me to yell at her for saying that, but when I didn't, she continued, "But would you please be a little nicer, or at least give Percy a chance? He is my cousin, and, though you should never tell him I said this, I actually don't have a big problem with him. I was offering you the invitation so you could at least get a chance to know him. And if you don't want to, then at least see his dancing skills. They're almost better than Piper's, and I know you need a choreographer soon. Besides, if you don't want him to be you backup dancer, then you can always hire Hazel. Gwen would be over the moon if you hired her younger sister. So Annabeth, could you please be a _little_ nicer? For me?"

I stared at her, stunned. If the girl that took me in as a kid and became my older sister said that I had a problem, did I really? And if I did, did I need to give Percy another chance? But before I could actually solve my inner debate, I found myself nodding along to Thalia's words, and saying, "Yeah, I'll give him another chance. I'll be there tomorrow to help him unpack at...?"

Thalia brightened, and whipped out her phone. "4 o'clock. I'm going to text Percy, saying you'll be there, so _please_ don't bail, 'kay?"

I forced a smile onto my face. "Yeah, I'll be there."


	7. Chapter 7

**Hello all! So, this update is kind of early because I (finally) figured out the plot and outline of the fic, whereas before I was just typing out random things, then editing them so that they could be called chapters. Hope you enjoy! Also, sorry if there are a lot of Taylor Swift references in here, I just finished binge-listening to her songs.  
-Lauren Swan**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own any characters, nor do I own We are Never Getting Back Together, written and sung by Taylor Swift.**

 **Meistar- Umm... well, thanks for the honest critique, but I have to say, I honestly though my previous summary was bad; it was choppy and it wasn't eye-catching. Thanks for thinking it was a good summary, but I honestly wasn't fishing for compliments.**

 **Percabeth824- Thanks!**

 **.oOo..oOo..oOo..oOo..oOo.**

I was soon after brought to yet another dressing room, where Bianca, _The Silver Set's_ Costume Manager, dressed me in a piece of simple white fabric that covered my breasts, leaving the rest of my tanned torso clearly visible, and a long, draping white skirt of the same material, with a long slit in the side that reached up to right below my hip. A golden, braided belt snaked across my waist, and my long locks were tied up with a golden circlet, revealing long, golden, teardrop-shaped earrings that reached my collarbone, where a simple gold circlet was laid, mirroring the one on my head. Add that to my bare feet, I looked like a Grecian Goddess. "Guys, this outfit looks really nice and all, but how does it tie into the song? I don't really think twerking would fit the whole theme I'm trying to give."

Bianca laughed. "Don't worry. Just read the script for the video." Complying, I grabbed the white, laminated sheets Bianca handed me, flipping through the pages quickly. According to the script, the storyline would be set in modern-day America, Ancient Greece, and a Futuristic world, where I would break up with the same guy three times over, one for each time period.

"It's good, but it seems to be more the video for _We are Never Getting Back Together,_ no?" I questioned innocently. _We are Never Getting Back Together_ was another song in the album that had already been recorded, but still needed to be decided if they were going to leave it as audio, make a lyric video, or make a music video.

Bianca bit her lip, but before she could reply, I heard someone, most likely Lou Ellen, call, "C'mon Annabeth! We need to start shooting soon." I glanced at Biance, who was also, coincidentally, Thalia's cousin... famous-ness seemed to run through the family. Shaking my head I headed over to the set, where there was already a few props ready for the shoot; obviously, my team had never even considered following Gwen's idea for the video, which was simply cameos of me wearing different things, with different people, at different places, singing the song.

"Kay, so Annabeth will be in Greece for the last line in the first verse, and the third line at the first chorus. She'll also be in Greece for the first and last lines of the second verse, and the last line in the second chorus. She'll be there for the second line of the third chorus, and for the post chorus we'll be shooting each scene once. For the bridge, we should be getting random scenes of each timeline, though in different scenes and the same clothes. and, most likely, the shooting should be done by tonight. This is a simple song to direct, so I don't want any mistakes, okay? Okay." Thalia was going into overdrive, shooting orders at everyone in the vicinity. If it weren't for the fact that I was still holding onto the script Bianca gave me, I wouldn't be able to follow a single word she was saying... though Thalia does do this every time she begins directing a video. The rare moments Artemis directs one of my music videos, instead, have been entirely different then Thalia's style, instead focusing with single-minded precision and managed to make everything said or done in a video have meaning... one of the many reasons that she was an excellent director.

Thalia glanced at me, "Annabeth, for the line we'll be shooting right now, you need to stand next to that fake tree grove and argue with the model we're bringing in. Bianca, find Annabeth an armlet, would you?"

I looked at Thalia, "Thals, I highly doubt a Grecian princess would wear this _outfit,_ much less an armlet."

Thalia looked at me, a blank look in her eyes. "Yes, but the public doesn't know that." And with that, she continued talking to Phoebe and Zoe, the producers of the video.

A few other people quickly positioned me near the fake tree, the green screen at my back, so that I looked the most appealing. However, soon after, Lacy discovered what had constituted for my makeup (read: Nothing), and had a mini heart-attack, pulling me back into the dressing room and then dusting even more makeup on my face. And then after that, it was Leo's turn to have a heart-attack, when he discovered that the sound and light system was out of batteries, which, all together, put us behind schedule an hour; not that big of a deal, though, if you saw Thalia's face, you could've assumed that the world was ending, or that Green Day had officially disbanded.

Soon after I met the model that would be the guy I'm breaking up in the video. I have to say, I was a bit surprised. "Ethan's the model you guys brought in?" I cried, staring at my neighbor, who wore a simple tunic that was also, completely, historically inaccurate, but, as Thalia says, 'The public doesn't know that.'

Next to me, Mitchell winced. "I feel really bad for you." I turned around to look at Mitchell, but he was already gone, talking to Lou Ellen about something or the other.

"Hi Annabeth." Ethan drawled in that completely Draco Malfoy-ishly way of his.

"Ethan." I responded, trying to keep my voice light. Inwardly, however, I was sighing. This was going to be a long day.

I heard the first few beats of _Red_ start, and I quickly got into position, not bothering to try and quiet the stomping noises I was making; in the videos that were made through _The Silver Set,_ all audio was silenced during the video, and the music was put in later... it was my job to lip sync properly.

 _Like the colors in autumn, so bright, just before they lose it all._

I turned to look at Ethan, shaking my head whilst mock arguing with him. Noise came out of our mouths, but it was really us saying random, nonsensical words, to create authenticity. I also removed the armlet Bianca had eventually given me, throwing it at his face. I waited a few more beats, before hearing the cue.

 _Forgetting him was like trying to know somebody you never met._

Ethan had left the frame, and I was sitting against a tree, rubbing my shoulder where the armlet once was, lip syncing the words to the lyrics.

 _Touching him was like realizing all you ever wanted was right there in front of you._

Ethan had returned, and now I was seductively touching him, about to lean and kiss him.

 _Regretting him was like wishing you never found out that love could be that strong._

Ethan was gone once more and I was slamming a fist against the tree next to me, my hair falling out of it's ponytail, flying in my face, though.

 _But loving him was red, oh red, burning red._

I was still hitting the tree, though I soon ended up curling into a ball, crying.

 _Remembering him comes in flashbacks, and echoes. Tell myself it's time now, gotta let go. But moving on from him is impossible when I still see it all in my head!_

The fake trees had been removed, and, trusting they adjusted the green screen, I quickly did a series of shots with me and Ethan. Some of us arguing, some of us kissing, some of us simply together, though I knew half of these wouldn't make it onto the edited video.

 _Missing him was dark gray all alone._

The trees were still gone, and in their place was Ethan, with makeup that had him look like a statue, with a conveniently placed bucket of gray paint next to him. Doing the rational thing, I took the brush from the bucket and used it to paint a stripe across the Ethan Statue.

 _But loving him was red._

I saw Ethan at the garden, and, without any qualms, I went to him and threw red paint on him.

 _And that's why he's spinnin' round in my head._

The statue was gone, and I was knelt, clutching my head.

We quickly did the same for the rest of the outfits; for the present world, I wore a pretty simple fall outfit, and for the future, my hair had been dyed partially blue, with a super-tight fit gray bodysuit that was practically a second skin.

"Great work guys!" Thalia called, at 11:00 p.m., "Valentina's already sent the un-edited tapes to Nyssa and Jake. Hopefully the video will be ready for release by tomorrow. Good Jo-"

"THALIA!"


	8. Chapter 8

**I just had a burst of inspiration, so here I am. Writing this chapter. Listening to the Lightning Thief Soundtrack in the background. Officially kinda in love with Chris McCarrell. Enjoy! Also, DaughterofHypnos17 has created a promising new forum called Camp Half-Blood, where you can join cabins, earn points, win awards, complete challenges, and become cabin councilors! It will officially open on September 1st, but anyone is welcome to register now, so I'd suggest heading over there to check it out, because it will be amazing! You can find the link on my profile, or just PM DaughterofHypnos17 for more information. I also know that it was a rushed ending, but I didn't want to drag on this chapter.** **  
-Lauren Swan**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own**

 **.oOo..oOo..oOo..oOo..oOo.**

We all turned around to see Gwen stalking over to us, still wearing the blazer she was wearing earlier this morning, with Harley, the tech intern, and Nyssa, our best editor, following meekly in her footsteps, "Thalia! You completely changed the design of the video! What the hell were you _thinking_?"

Thalia looked lost, but the puzzle pieces quickly snapped together in my head. "Let me guess," I heard myself saying, "When we sent the tape, Harley saw it instead of Nyssa or Jake, and he went to go tell you."

Instead of responding to my theory, Gwen whirled to look at me, "And you, Annabeth! I know you're more responsible than this! Now we need to halt recording the songs tomorrow, and instead film an entirely new video!" Gwen groaned and looked at the ceiling.

Next to me, I felt Ethan shift slightly. "Gwen, I think I'll be leaving. Thanks for wasting my time, Thalia. I expect to be paid for this." And with that he strode out of the building, much like how he strode out of Percy's party. Wait. _Percy._ What had happened to Silena?

"Where's Silena?" I asked, anger growing in my stomach. She had told me she was going to go and get the audition tapes, before coming to the set, and yet I hadn't even seen her!

"Oh Annie, I'm right here, of course!"

I turned around to see Silena grinned at me, dressed as... the Ethan Statue? Yup, she was the Ethan Statue in the video, not Ethan. I still didn't feel bad over throwing all that paint on her.

"Silena? You were in on this too? Everyone back to Sunlight Studios. Now. Yes, Thalia, I'd like you, Phoebe, and Zoe to come too. No Silena, I don't care that you're dripping paint and makeup. Now!" With that, Gwen turned around, walking back outside, Harley following her after offering a meek "Sorry."

"Nyssa!" Valentina cried. "You weh supposed tuh have bee' at the st'dio."

Nyssa grimanced. "You know that special effect we were working on for the eventual tour? Festus?"

All of us looked at each other, before giving a slow, "Yeah..."

Nyssa shuddered, "Well, he forgot to connect the green wire with the black wire, instead of with the red wire, and the motherboard short-circuited when he was adjusting it. Long story short, he's in the hospital now with a full body cast and Festus won't be able to be on the tour."

"Dammit." Lou Ellen muttered, "I was planning to put speakers in Festus, so Annabeth wouldn't have to hold a mic when she stood on it. Now I need to come up with something else."

Zoe turned to look at all of us. "That's not the problem. The problem is that we're not only going to have to redo the whole video, but for any other music or promotional video Gwen's going to want to be here. And you all know what happens when Gwen's here." That was true. Anytime Gwen was at a shooting, she removed all the humor and, instead, made it too serious, too professional for our fans.

Phoebe chimed in with, "She's also going to tell Apollo, who won't care but will be required to tell Artemis, who's going to reprimand Thalia and will give her a probation period during which she has to do exactly what the client says, in this case, Gwen. And we all now that what Gwen wants is definitely not what our fans want, nor are they actually good ideas. This is a really good album Annabeth's recording, but, with all this, I doubt even half her fans will even listen to it more than once, much less go to the concerts. And didn't Athena make Gwen and Apollo sign a contract saying they'd tell her if anything out of the ordinary happened? Athena will definitely berate Annabeth and then be here for the recording tomorrow."

I groaned, putting my head in my hands. "We'll figure this out later. For now, let's just go over to the studio."

* * *

Phoebe was a prophet.

Everything she had said had come true, and, after answering two phone calls, one from Apollo and one from Athena, I walked back into the meeting room, my head still hurting from my mother yelling at me, even if it was over the phone. All of us had gathered at the meeting room next to the tech room, and I found myself itching to ask Silena what had happened with the audition tapes. Yet, before I could sit down next to her, Gwen sat on Silena's left and Lacy plopped herself down on Silena's right side, leaving me to sit between Gwen and Thalia; neither of which was a comfortable position.

"So..." Gwen said, "I realize that none of you like my proposition for the music video, and instead decided to go your own way, creating another one."

All of us glanced around at each other, and I took the time to see who was actually there. There was Thalia, me, Gwen (obviously), Silena, Lacy, Lou Ellen, Mitchell, Leo, Nyssa, Zoe, Phoebe, and Bianca. Some of the others had been at the set but Gwen hadn't seen them, and others knew what was going on but didn't go to the set. Finally, I decided to be the spokesperson for our group. "Yeah, that was what had happened." I said, keeping my voice monotone.

Gwen nodded. "Would you all like to see the fruit of you labor, sneaking around me so that my plans were vetoed and another plan was put in place?"

All of us looked at each other once more: this was not what we had expected, when we were called to Gwen's office... we had expected her to yell at us, maybe fire one or two people, then hire them again a week later. Though she was annoyed at us, we all had a working relationship, that any newcomer would disrupt; part of the reason I didn't want to hire anyone but Piper.

When she didn't here us answer, Gwen grabbed the tape that Nyssa had edited, walking over to the computer before slipping the tape/flash drive into the computer.

* * *

 _Loving him was like driving a new Maserati down a dead end street._

I was in the present, walking on a sidewalk of an abandoned alleyway, before Ethan pulled up in a Maserati, gesturing for me to sit inside.

 _Faster than the wind, passionate as sin, ending so suddenly._

I was in the present and Ethan was closing an apartment door in my face.

 _Loving him was like trying to change your mind once you're already flying through the free fall._

I was in the future and was on a roller coaster of some sort, with Ethan sitting next to me.

 _Like the colors in autumn so bright, just before they lose it all._

It was the past and I was arguing with Ethan, throwing an armlet at his face, standing next to a tree grove.

 _Losing him was blue like I've never known,_

It was the future and I was standing in front of a building, spraying blue graffiti on it,

 _Missing him was dark gray all alone,_

In the present I was standing in front of a canvas, in another apartment, painting harsh, gray strokes on it.

 _Forgetting him was like trying to know somebody you never met._

It was the past, and I was sitting in front of a grove of trees, rubbing my arm where the armlet once was.

 _But loving him was red._

The scene kept on shifting from the present to the future; in the present I was dumping a bucket of red paint on the canvas, and in the future I was using red spraypaint to destroy the image I had made of Ethan in blue.

 _Touching him was like realizing all you ever wanted was right there in front of you._

It was the past, and I was standing in a stone tower, about to kiss Ethan.

 _Memorizing him was as easy as knowing all the words to your old favorite song._

It was the future, and I was staring at a picture of me and Ethan holding hands, singing, with the assumed song's lyrics on a sheet I was absentmindedly destroying.

 _Fighting with him was like trying to solve a crossword and realizing there's no right answer._

It was the present, and I was fighting with Ethan, arguing about something or the other, before shaking my head and walking away.

 _Regretting him was like wishing you never found out love could be that strong._

It was the past, and I was beating up a tree.

 _Losing him was blue like I've never known._

It was the present, and I was now cutting up a blue sweater he supposedly gave me.

 _Missing him was dark gray all alone,_

It was the past and I was back in the stone tower, putting gray paint on a white statue looking like Ethan.

 _Forgetting him was like trying to know somebody you never met._

It was the future and I was on a date with someone else, making awkward small talk.

 _But loving him was red._

It was all three time periods, and I was walking up to Ethan, before dumping red paint on him.

 _Remembering him comes in flashbacks, and echoes, tell myself it's time now, gotta let go, but moving on from him is impossible when I still see it all in my head. In burning red._

It was a series of snapshots from all three time periods, showing both children and adult Ethan and me arguing, joking, falling in love with each other, etc.

 _Losing him was blue like I've never known, missing him was dark gray all alone, forgetting him was like trying to know somebody you never met, but loving him was red._

It was all three time periods once more, and this time they all showed me finally happy, doing my own thing, without Ethan.

 _And that's why he's spinnin' round in my head._

It was the past, and I was knelt to the ground in the tree grove, holding my head in my hands.

 _Comes back to me, burning red._

It was the future, and I was older, standing in front of the building I'd graffited earlier, this time covering up what I'd done.

 _His love was like driving a new Maserati down a dead end street._

It was the future, and the graffiti I'd done to cover Ethan's face was revealed to be me writing "Red" on it.

* * *

"Interesting." Gwen said once the video was over. "Pretty good idea, but not good for the theme of the song. Thalia, I want you, Leo, and Dakota to discuss what you can do now for the video. We'll probably use this theme for "Never Getting Back Together." Good job, all." And with that, Gwen left the building, leaving all of us to wonder if that was really the real Gwen.


	9. Chapter 9

**August 18-** _So, this is isn't a chapter, but HAPPY BIRTHDAY PERCY! Also, HAPPY ANNIVERSARY PERCABETH! What are you guys doing for today? I'm going to try and eat the blue food I'd gotten just for today, and wear my CHB shirt. I also might end up writing something to commemorate his birthday. Just a heads up._

 **And now, this is the chapter I've began writing for Percy's birthday, but didn't manage to finish until now** **. Enjoy! I also have a question for ya'll: Do you guys want an actual plot? Or do you guys want it to be just a story of Percabeth getting together? Because I can do both.**

 **-Lauren Swan**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own**

 **Guest: Thanks! I went back and fixed the mistakes. And if Silena's an African-American, I don't know, but I know she was described as one in the musical, so I decided to stick with that.**

 **merendinoemiliano- No problem! At least you managed to read the chapters! :) Thanks!**

 **SeaweedBrain~PercyJackson**

After that odd meeting with Gwen, the group dispersed; the Hunters going back to the set, Thalia and the others going to the private meeting, and everyone else either leaving for the day or staying behind to close down the studio. I, myself, awkwardly trailed behind Thalia, trying to sneak into the meeting.

That is, until I heard; "Annnnnieeeeee!" A drunken Dakota giggled behind me. A loopy grin was on his face, and he kept on staggering around floor, occasionally crashing into the _very_ expensive furniture. "Hiiiiiiiiiiiii. You wanna dink? Heh-heh. Dink." Dakota grinned lazily at me, and stumbled forward, wrapping one arm around my waist, the other sweeping to the side in a theatrical bow. "And I present Miss Annie, winner of the best friend award. Yaaaaaaaaaay!" Dakota raised his arm, about to pull me into a kiss, when suddenly he fell on top of me, his dead weight pulling both of us down.

Without hesitation, I pushed Dakota off of me, stumbling to my feet. "I honestly think that sometimes Dakota means to do that." I muttered, trying to smooth the wrinkles out of my white shirt, hastily pulling my hair into a bun, all whilst trying to find Thalia and the group, which had, most likely, left me to suffer Dakota's drunk self alone; whenever Dakota was drunk, which was often, one of us usually had to babysit him until he came to his senses. This time, it was me, because, obviously, a drunken Dakota was not a Dakota many wanted to talk to... or be around in general. "C'mon Dakota," I mumbled, trying (and failing) to pull him up to his feet. Finally, I plopped him in a sitting position against the wall, gagging internally at the residue of alcohol on his clothes, and what appeared to be soiled pants; I honestly wonder how the security and receptionist even allowed him inside the building if he looked like this... or maybe he just raided Gwen's not-so-secret liquor cabinet again. One or the other.

Heaving an annoyed breath, I pulled my phone out of my pocket, dialing Silena's phone number to get her to come and help me; and, of course, try to see if she found the audition tapes or not.

A moment or two later, probably by accident, I heard someone answer the phone "Hey? Sile-? What's going on?" I questioned into the phone, hearing someone; Silena by the sound of it, whispering rapidly to someone else, her voice breathy and worried. "Silena? You Okay?"

"Huh? Yeah Annie." A moment of silence, punctuated with more rapid whispering, then, "Hey, you know what? I think I'll call you back later. Bye!" And with that, she disconnected the call, the dial tone resonating loudly in the echoing hallway.

"Awwie? Whas wong?" Dammit. I had forgotten about Dakota, who was now looking at me curiously.

"Nothing Dakota. Absolutely nothing." I turned off the dial tone, hoisting Dakota up, trying to figure out how to take him to his office (read: room) without having him fall unconscious again. In the end, I played a "game" with him; see who can get to his office first. Now, obviously, I let Dakota win, allowing him to reach his office before me, and, consequentially, promptly fall asleep as soon as he plopped himself down in his chair; a result of sprinting all the way through the halls, without a break in between. I quickly took hold of one of our receptionists, Katie Gardner (also the daughter of Mr. Gardner, who lived in my neighborhood), instructing her to not allow Dakota to leave the room unless he was sober.

Walking away from Dakota's office, all thoughts of trying to sneak into the meeting were forgotten; now, all I was trying to do was find Silena, to try and figure out what was going on, that had made her so nervous. I began to walk to the makeup and setup corridors, expecting to "accidentally" run into her there, but, once more, my plans were quashed when I saw Mitchell, of all people, walking toward me.

"Annabeth!" Looking slightly worried, he quickened his pace into a sort of jog, finally crashing to a stop in front of me. "Hey."

I stared at Mitchell, not believing that he was only standing in front of me to say 'Hey.' Nevertheless, I smiled, responding with a similar, "Hey."

Mitchell looked slightly relaxed, suddenly, as though he didn't expect me to do something that he didn't want me to do, such as, maybe, calling his bluff. "So, what's going on? Did you hear what they're planning to do with the video?" Might as well figure out something interesting if he was going to distract me from finding Silena; besides, it had taken a half-hour already; _something_ must have happened, useless though it might be.

"Yeah."

I raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Do tell."

Mitchell shook his head, snickering, grinning at me, "They're planning to keep the video, and make _We're Never Getting Back Together,_ a lyric video, though I hear there was an epic shouting match between Thalia and Gwen."

"Huh. Interesting," I mused, already preparing for an angry Gwen. "Anything else?"

For a moment Mitchell looked stumped, before glancing at me. "Like Phoebe predicted, Thalia's on probation, though, because this is her 5th time messing up, Artemis herself is flying in to direct all the other videos of the album."

Whoa. _Artemis_ was coming in to direct the whole freaking album, when, in the past, I'd be lucky to even get one video directed by her. This was going to be interesting.


	10. Chapter 10

**Hey all! Sorry this chapter's a bit late, I was trying to figure out a thing or two about the logistics of this fic. I'd also like to give a shoutout to Didi (guest), for being the first person to vote for the plot/no plot. Thanks! Now, the poll is still open, yet, as I can't post any new chapters before seeing how many want or don't want a plot, so please vote! Because this is a filler chapter, and I couldn't resist it, this is a cliche dream sequence. I also couldn't resist putting a bit of Theyna in there, so sorry if you don't ship them. Now, on with the story. (BTW., if I do decide to do a plot, this chapter is actually really important, so you might want to read it carefully.)**

 **-Lauren Swan**

 **Disclaimer: The fact that I have to say this is proof that I don't own the characters in here *sobs quietly in the corner***

 **Didi: Thanks! I'm glad you liked my fic! And yeah, thanks for being the first person to vote... it is pretty cool that you found me a few times on this site, as I'm not really popular.**

 **meredinoemiliano: Thanks! Glad you liked the characters!**

 **.oOo..oOo..oOo..oOo..oOo.**

After that startling revelation, my mind blacked out, me barely remembering Thalia dropping me off at my penthouse, or crashing on the couch, falling asleep to this odd dream.

 _I was standing in a cabin of some sort, an eerie Siren's song echoing in the empty building. Dream-me shivered, pulling what appeared to be a blanket closer to my body, even though I was sweating buckets. I looked down, only to see that I was naked as a newborn baby, the blanket being the only thing covering my body._

 _In front of me, a fireplace crackled with energy, the purple flames within it reaching ten, fifteen,_ twenty _feet lengths. My befuddled mind took this in as a normal occurrence, curling up on the bare wooden ground in front of the flames. My skin crackled and peeled, and suddenly I was aware that I was burning, my tan skin turning black, peeling off my body. And yet it was still cold - too cold._

 _The cabin suddenly burst into flames, and I welcomed them with open arms, my nerves taught with exhaustion. The ground beneath me crumbled, and suddenly I was falling, red smoke overwhelming me, the only visible thing being the craggy black walls of the hole. My hand reached out, and suddenly I found that I was hugging a body close to me, its outline faintly visible through the fog. "I love you." I whispered, even though I knew nothing of what the other person was._

 _Just as suddenly, however, I was on ground, dancing in a pavilion of some sort. In front of me, Luke was grinning sweetly, and I recognized the scene; this was the dance where he had proposed to me. As I looked around me, spinning in my white dress that exposed my bare midriff, others were gently swaying in time to the music, the pop fading to a slow song of some sort. And yet, this was wrong; in the real scene, the others had left the pavilion to circle around Luke as he declared false words of love, before falling to one knee. In the dream, however, the others continued to dance, completely engrossed in their partner._

 _Next to me, Thalia danced with Reyna Arellano, both shooting each other vulnerable, happy smiles. Silena and Beckendorf were tangled up in each others arms, staring into each others eyes, displaying pure, complete emotion, as though Aphrodite herself had blessed them._

 _I turned to Luke, only to see that I wasn't dancing with Luke at all, but instead with Percy, his hands whispers around my bare waist, his sea-green eyes looking lovingly into mine. My arms were wrapped around his neck, and, to my astonishment, I didn't even mind it, instead cocking my head slightly to the side, trying to figure out why he was looking at me like that._

 _"Annabeth," he whispered, as though saying my name for the first time. "Annabeth."_

 _"P-Percy?" I responded, keeping my voice in the same tone as his. For reasons I didn't know, I felt it was important that no one but us heard this conversation._

 _Percy smiled at me, and, suddenly, spun his arms so I twirled in the summer air, before landing back into his arms. This time, however, my back was pressed against his chest, and I felt his body vibrate with a chuckle as I let out a gasp at the sight before me._

 _There was a field of green grass, that abruptly sloped down, the pavilion having seemingly dispersed into thin air, the couples around me twirling in the air, disappearing on what appeared to be the edge of a hill. Beckendorf spun out of Silena's hands, and he disappeared beyond the hill, Silena chasing after him, laughing. Ethan and Octavian were coyly slipping out of the other's grasp, Ethan making sure to twirl down the hillside, Octavian rolling his eyes before following._

 _Turning next to me, about to drag Percy across the hillside, I saw the sunset cast shadows across Percy's skin, and he, somehow, didn't look as kind anymore, his encouraging smile turning into a gleeful grin, his kind eyes now one of a killer's._

 _"C'mon Annabeth." He encouraged, twisting himself so that he was standing in front of me, "Let's go."_

 _I felt my body shudder, and something in the back of my issued warning bell's that seemed to echo through the field, telling me to not trust Percy, to not go near him._

 _"Annabeth!"_

 _I felt my body relax, slightly, as I felt Piper's voice calling out to me from across the field._

 _Jason was next to her, and the two were looking at each other with a sort of reverence... and yet, Jason, too, looked strange, his electric blue eyes turning icy, scars on his skin appearing to leap out against the odd darkness that covered him._

 _Silence was everywhere in the hill, and I looked around, only to see that the other couples were missing, Jason and Piper being the only companions to Percy and me._

 _Piper ran over to me, just as Jason shook his head, taking a jump across the hillside. Piper stared at where he had gone, then we both turned to look at Percy, only to see he was staring the gradual mist that was beginning to envelop the hill, closing off all visibility._

 _"Annabeth, let's_ go _." Percy stressed, trying to grab my hand._

 _"No." Piper was looking at me, a warning in her eyes. "Don't"_

 _"C'mon Annabeth."_

 _"Don't do it."_

 _"She's just jealous. Let's go."_

 _"You shouldn-"_

 _Piper's voice was cut off, and I heard a strange voice screaming my name, odd and eerie in such a quiet place._

ANNABETH! ANNABETH!


	11. Chapter 11 (and an AN)

**...Hey guys... So, I'm sorry for not updating in a while... and- I'll just go out and say it. I'm abandoning this. I know, I know, I feel really bad for doing this, but I don't really feel... _motivated_ anymore, for lack of a better word. I also will not end up writing the "Separated by a Veil" trilogy. I have so many ideas, but I don't feel like writing them out. I doubt I'm ever actually going to come back to this. And if I do, I'll definitely be rewriting it. Because of that, this is up for adoption. If you want to adopt it, drop a review or send me a PM and I'll get back to you. If you want to know what's going to happen, once more, send me a PM and I'll gladly tell you. To give you guys _something_ though, here's the beginning of the next chapter I was writing, that never got finished...**

 **-Lauren Swan**

 **Disclaimer: Are the clouds purple? Is the Blood of Olympus not anticlimactic? No? Then do you think I own the PJatO and HoO series'? (Hint: I don't)**

 **.oOo..oOo..oOo..oOo..oOo.**

"Annabeth! ANNABETH!"

I woke up with a start, feeling sweat all over my body. My lips felt sticky, and when I brought my hand up to them, I felt... blood?

I went to go ahead and sit up, only then realizing the disgusting feeling all over my body as nausea. It looked like I had somehow fallen to the ground sometime during the night, and my body felt sore, like someone had taken a battering ram and threw it at me. Multiple times. I felt my hand drop to the ground out of sheer exhaustion, but I felt something strangely warm and thick covering it, something that smelled like... _vomit_. As soon as I recognized that, I tilted my head to the side, wanting to throw up again, when I felt somebody grimace and carefully put their hand behind my neck, taking care to make sure that I didn't fall into the pile of bile... and what smelled like urine.

I closed my eyes, hoping that this was a dream, hoping that _the_ Annabeth Chase hadn't made a complete fool of herself in front of... whoever was calling my name. I could already imagine the tabloids:

 _Annabeth Chase: The Shocking Scandal  
Annabeth Chase: Pregnant or not?  
The Mental Breakdown: Annabeth Chase_

I took a breath before looking up to meet my savior's eyes, before blanching in surprise and making a surprised yelp in the back of my throat.

"Thank the gods Annabeth. Thalia would kill me if something happened to you." Percy sighed in relief. "What happened?"

I gasped, my mouth opening and closing, like a fish's. "I- um- how did you get in here?" was what came out of my mouth.

Percy smiled nervously, like he was expecting me to yell at him. "I heard screaming from the house. I figured I should probably come in to check on you. Piper gave me a spare key to the house in case of an emergency."

Finally finding my voice, I glared up in his general direction - I couldn't concentrate my eyes, so he just looked like a misty blob with green dots on his face. "You entered my house? What if I was screaming for anoth-" My voice cut off as I felt something rise in the back of my throat, and I turned my head to the side, only to make a gagging sound; it appears I had vomited up all of my meal.

"Get out of my house!" I cried, forcing myself up into a respectable position. Percy just sat there, looking really uncomfortable, though I was pleased to see a flash of fear spark in his eyes. He was afraid of me. Good.

"Percy, if you don't lea-" My voice cut off again and I twisted to the side, coughing up blood.

"We need to get you to a hospital." Percy said, leaning forward to... _kiss_ me?

I let out a cry and smacked his arm away, trying to stand before deciding it would be better if I sat. " _Leave._ "

He let out an exasperated cry. "Do what you want, but I already called Thalia over. She should be here right about now."


End file.
